


Monster Hunter Mystery Dungeon

by JumpingShinyFrogs



Category: Monster Hunter (Video Games), Pokemon Mystery Dungeon
Genre: Adventure, Character tags will be added as needed, Crossover, Gen, Lots and Lots of OCs, No Romance, PMD with MH monsters, POV First Person, Plot not based on any particular PMD game, Talking monsters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-02
Updated: 2019-01-13
Packaged: 2019-10-03 03:21:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 16,614
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17276150
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JumpingShinyFrogs/pseuds/JumpingShinyFrogs
Summary: What’s a girl to do when she wakes up with no memories as a Tigrex? In this mysterious world where the monsters talk and live like people, a crisis is brewing, and she may have a bigger role to play in stopping it than she thinks. With trusted allies and a faithful partner at her side, Aether the Tigrex will have to overcome the trials that face her for the sake of the beautiful world of monsters.Cross-posted from Fanfiction.net. Will update every few days until caught up with the FF version (shouldn’t take too long). Updates will probably be slow after that because I’m prone to writer’s block.





	1. Welcome to the World of Monsters!

“ _Greetings. This is the portal that leads to the world of the monsters.”_   
  
A strange voice echoed around me as I sleepily looked around. All I could see was a bright light, speckled with a multitude of colours. Everything sounded hazy and indistinct.   
  
“Ohhh..." I sleepily said. "That's nice...”   
  
The voice laughed. “ _ You sound excited. But before we go, I'd like to ask you a few questions. Ready? Then let's begin!” _  said the voice.   
  
It asked me a few questions, which I groggily answered. The swirling lights in the dreamscape seemed to be going faster and faster as I answered each question. They were mostly random and trivial things, like "what would you do if your wallet was stolen" and things like that. Things that didn't seem to matter.   
  
_“_ Only _a few more now,_ ” said the strange voice.    
  
“ _You've just been told that you can't buy something you've been lining up to get for hours! What do you do?”_   
  
"Line up for more hours, duh," I said. I felt like I was talking underwater. Forcing the words out was hard, and I couldn't truly hear myself.   
  
“ _Hmm... I see. Finally, I have one more question. Are you male or female?”_   
  
"I'm a girl," I said. "Can't you tell by the sound of my voice?"   
  
_ "I'm afraid not. But thank you for answering all of those tedious questions. I think I've gotten a feel for the sort of person you are. _ _   
_ _   
_ _ "You're very determined. No obstacle will get in your way, and if it does you'll just climb over it. You never give up, not even when the odds seem stacked against you. _ _   
_ _   
_ _ "So, a determined person like you..." _ _   
_   
As the voice trailed off, a mirror appeared in front of me. I could see a blurry shape that I guessed was supposed to be me. As I stared, the shape in the mirror seemed to change.   
  
_ "...will be a Tigrex!" _ _   
_   
"That me?" I asked, still feeling like I should be asleep rather than talking to strange dream voices in strange dream worlds.   
  
_ "Indeed. Now, we're ready to go! A grand adventure awaits in a new world, filled with wonder and excitement! Are you ready?" _ _   
_   
I tried to nod but I couldn't feel my head. So I settled for a simple "Yes.”   


_ "Welcome to the world of monsters!" _ _   
_   
The colours reached fever pitch and the light grew so bright and intense that I would've covered my eyes if I could feel them.   
  
Suddenly, the blinding light vanished and was replaced by a clear blue sky. Clouds rushed past me at a terrifyingly fast pace. Limbs that felt too big and a neck that felt too long twisted as I tried to look down.   
  
Below stretched a picturesque landscape. A vast forest spread out below, broken only by a pristine river. In the distance mountains reached for the sky, and rolling green plains dotted with patches of colourful flowers arrayed themselves below me. Just on the edge of the forest I could see a little village, nestled amongst the trees.   
  
All of this beautiful scenery was approaching me at a blisteringly fast rate as I realised that I was falling. I knew that no amount of flailing would make me fall any slower, so I opted instead to go limp and brace for impact.   
  
I came in hard and fast, crashing through tree branches to land in a small clearing. The jarring impact took my breath away. Somewhere nearby I could barely hear the river, over the ringing in my ears. Leaves fell all around me as I tried to push myself up from the ground, but try as I might I couldn't even keep my eyes open. The world blackened at the edges as I fell into unconsciousness.

 

* * *

 

"Hey..."   
  
A voice was calling out to me. It sounded like a boy. His voice seemed to be coming from somewhere in the distance.   
  
"Can you hear me?"   
  
He sounded closer now. Was he walking towards me?   
  
"Hmm... No response. This isn't good."   
  
The voice was right on top of me now, and I could feel gentle breathing on my face. Mustering the effort to open my eyes was a lot harder than it should've been. The voice had stopped talking now, and I could hear shuffling, like someone rummaging in a bag of some sort.   
  
The bright sunlight assaulted my senses when I opened my eyes, and so did the fiery red that filled my vision. As my sight came into focus, a lump of dread settled in my stomach as I beheld the creature in front of me.   
  
It was covered in red scales, with spiky shells and plates covering its whole face. A large mouth with terrifyingly sharp teeth hung menacingly above my head. Huge wings were held folded at the beast's sides, and a great spiked club decorated its tail.   
  
_ Ohhh _ , I thought.  _ That's a Rathalos, and I'm about to die... _ _   
_   
The monster must've already eaten the guy that was talking. Poor sucker. Now it was my turn. The beast opened its mouth...   
  
"Oh! You're awake! Good, I was starting to get worried. I've never seen anyone fall from that high up before. You're lucky I was out here gathering herbs."   
  
_ What did I just see? _ I thought. That thing opened its mouth and spoke!   
  
"Are you alright? Wait, stupid question, of course you aren't. It's just that you're staring at me..." said the Rathalos.   
  
"You're a Rathalos," I stated simply. My voice sounded a little...stronger than usual.    
  
The Rathalos blinked. "Uh...yes. You're a Tigrex. Is there something wrong?"   
  
"What? No I'm not!" I said. I wasn't a Tigrex. Last time I checked, I was a human.   
  
Now the Rathalos had a look of concern etched on his face. "Uh-oh. I hope you don't have a concussion. Hold on..."   
  
For the first time, I noticed the bag hanging from a strap on his neck, with a badge pinned onto it. With surprising dexterity for something with no hands, he opened it and took out what looked like a flashlight. Holding the device in his mouth, he looked at me.   
  
"I'm gonna shine this in your eyes, ok?" he said, though it came out a but muffled.    
  
He shone the flashlight in my eyes, briefly blinding me.    
  
"Ow! Stop that!" I said.   
  
"Well, your reactions are normal. Are you feeling strange in any way? Sick, dizzy?" asked the Rathalos.   
  
"I'm confused that there's a talking Rathalos trying to diagnose me with a concussion, but other than that, no, I'm fine," I said. I still hadn't tried to move yet. I tried to get my arms underneath me to push myself up, but the Rathalos put his wing on me and held me down.   
  
"No, don't try to get up. Let me check you over first," he said, lifting his wing from my back and moving behind me.   
  
I wasn't too sure how I felt about having a fire-breathing predator 'check me over', but I forced myself to stay still. He didn't seem to want to eat me. In fact, he seemed to be surprisingly well trained in first-aid.    
  
"Hmm... Wings seem normal. One claw is a little chipped but that's nothing that time won't fix. No visible damage to the spine, no signs of concussion... Hind legs are fine, no signs of breaking or spraining. And your tail looks uninjured as well. Wow, you're something special, eh? Dropping from the sky like a stone, but not a scratch on you."   
  
I was less concerned with the fact that I was apparently healthy than the fact that he was analysing the states of my claws, wings and tail. As far as I remembered, I wasn't supposed to have those.   
  
"Now you can try getting up. Slowly, please, and let me know if anything starts to hurt or if you start to feel weird at all, ok?" directed the Rathalos.   
  
"Ok," I said, and did as instructed.   
  
I did feel a little odd, but not necessarily in a bad way. My body naturally stood me up on all fours, with my arms spread out a little wider than my legs. My head kept fairly low to the ground. This didn't feel right at all, yet it somehow also felt perfectly natural.   
  
"Nothing's hurting?" asked the Rathalos.   
  
I chose to ignore him in favour of twisting my strangely long neck to look at my hands. Or rather, my lack thereof. Where hands should be were a set of brutal looking claws, attached to a wing and an arm covered in yellow scales. and blue stripes.   
  
"Wha..." I said, trailing off. "It's true! I really have turned into a Tigrex somehow!"   
  
"Uh...if I may ask, what do you think you're supposed to be?" asked the Rathalos, somewhat delicately. I got the distinct impression that he thought I was crazy.   
  
"I'm a human. Definitely not a Tigrex," I said. When and how did this happen? I vaguely remembered a weird dream world and a voice mentioning a Tigrex, but that was about it. Nothing to that could even begin to explain this.   
  
The Rathalos frowned. "Humans? Those aren't real. They only exist in fairy tales and legends."   
  
"It's true!" I insisted.   
  
"You're kind of strange..." said the Rathalos. "Maybe I should check if you have a concussion or not again..."   
  
"I don't have a concussion! I'm telling you the truth."   
  
"Well... Ok. I choose to believe you, even though it doesn't exactly make sense to me," said the Rathalos.   
  
"Wait, really?" I asked. "Just like that?"   
  
The Rathalos shrugged with his wings, a very odd gesture. "Stranger things have happened in this world. Who am I to say you're lying?"   
  
"Oh...um..." I stammered, not entirely sure what to say. "Thanks, maybe?"   
  
The Rathalos laughed, a surprisingly pleasant sound. "You're welcome, perhaps. My name is Gentle Glow, by the way. Pleased to meet you."   
  
"I'm, uh..." I started, but trailed off. What was my name? More importantly, why was I drawing a blank?   
  
Glow watched me for a moment, his scaly face creasing into a frown. "What's up?"   
  
"I... can't remember my name. Why can't I remember my name!?" I said frantically.   
  
"Calm down," said Glow, going back into medic mode. "Is there anything else you can't remember, or is it just your name?"   
  
"Hmm..." I said, thinking. It hadn't occurred to me before, but the only thing I could reliably remember...was that I used to be a human.   
  
"Everything," I said. "No memories are coming to me at all."   
  
"Retrograde amnesia. Can be caused by head trauma or traumatic events. I doubt that your whole life was one big traumatic event, and so far as I can tell you aren't suffering from any head trauma. So what else could have caused this?" pondered Glow.   
  
Meanwhile, I tried my hardest to remember something, anything, about my life, but to no avail. Absolutely nothing even half-came to me.   
  
"I'm not entirely sure what to do here. But I suppose I can't leave you in the woods by yourself. And I need something to call you," said Glow. He glanced around, seemingly looking for inspiration while I tried not to have an existential crisis.   
  
"For now, I'm going to call you Aether. Is that alright? It seems fitting, since you fell out of the sky and all..." said Glow.   
  
"Sure. I guess that'll do for now," I said. I was more than a little bit confused, but astoundingly unafraid.   
  
"Ok then, Aether. There's a village nearby, and from there we can head over to Cloudrest, where I live. I'm guessing that you don't have anywhere else to be," said Glow. "I'll...figure out what to do with you when we get to Cloudrest."   
  
"Well, lead the way, I guess," I said, still not sure what to make of this whole situation. I was in a strange place, having fallen out of the sky with no memories, and in a body that wasn't my own. How and why does something like this even happen?   
  
Glow turned and began to lead me out of the small clearing (which looked a lot more like a crater now, courtesy of my landing) and into the trees. For a while, everything was normal. Birds sang in the trees, and sunlight dappled the ground as Glow wove a path through the trees, which I followed. He seemed to know where he was going, but I did find myself wondering why he didn't just take off and fly out. Too hard to get through the trees, maybe? Or maybe he didn't want to leave me behind. I had wings now, sure, but I wasn't too keen on trying them out.   
  
After a little bit of silent walking through the trees, Glow stopped suddenly.   
  
"What is it?" I asked him.   
  
"It just occurred to me that you probably don't know what a dungeon is, and we've reached the entrance to one," he said, looking into the trees ahead.   
  
"Isn't a dungeon like a prison? That just looks like normal forest to me," I said.   
  
"Look a little closer. See how the air is a little warped? It's almost like something is twisting it. That's how you spot the entrance to a dungeon," said Glow, gesturing with his wing.   
  
"Ok, but what is a dungeon?" I asked. Now that he had pointed it out, I could definitely see it. There were subtle distortions on the trees ahead, like looking through a glass. The spatial distortions seemed to be moving as well, slowly but surely changing positions.   
  
"A mystery dungeon, or just a dungeon for short, is almost like a maze. They're very weird places that just don't make sense no matter how you look at them. See, the big thing is about them is that they change every time you go in. You can go through the same dungeon a hundred times and never have the same experience," explained Glow.   
  
"Wait, what? That's just impossible. I'm pretty sure physics doesn't allow that sort of thing," I argued.   
  
"I know, but it's true. Top scientists have spent decades trying to understand the dungeons, but they've come up with nothing. Anyway, dungeons can be fun to explore, because there's usually money and other random bits of treasure just laying around in them. But they're also dangerous, because they're full of ferals," said Glow.   
  
"Ferals? Are those like wild animals?" I asked. I was still having difficulty wrapping my head around the idea of a place that changed between visits.   
  
"Well, not exactly. Ferals are monsters who, as their name would imply, have gone totally wild. They'll just attack you randomly if they happen to come across you while you're exploring. Usually, the only way to get rid of them is to either fight back, or find a way to scare them off. Running away is also an option, but there are so many that I find it usually doesn't work. You'll always run into another one eventually, and then you'll be surrounded. It's not very common, but sometimes you can slap some sense into a feral and they'll stop attacking. They might even ask you to help them leave the dungeon," explained Glow.   
  
The more he talked about this place, the less excited I was about going through it. "So are we going to get torn apart by wild Rathalos in there?" I asked, only half sarcastically.   
  
"No," said Glow. "This is a relatively safe dungeon. The most you'll run into will be the odd Kut-Ku, but they're flighty enough that they'll just run away if you look at them funny. I still wish that the dungeons hadn't spread here though. This is still the best and safest spot I have to gather supplies, but the dungeon being here means it takes a bit longer than it used to."   
  
"Wait, spread? You mean this place didn't used to be a dungeon?" I asked. That was a little frightening. Places could just suddenly become a physics-breaking maze filled with crazy monsters at the drop of a hat?   
  
"No, it didn't. Used to just be a normal woods. I learned about the new dungeon one day when I walked on as normal but then found myself navigating a maze. That wasn't fun, since I wasn't prepared to deal with a dungeon. This sort of thing happens naturally over time, but lately it's been happening more and more often. I guess I'm just lucky that this place isn't too long or dangerous. Then I might have to buy stuff from Healing Remedy, and then I'd be out on the streets after one trip. Stupid bird charges way too much for basic salves..." said Glow, grumbling a bit at the end.   
  
"I see," I said. I only kind of knew what he was talking about, but firm what I could tell, dungeons were generally dangerous, but this particular one we were about to go through was less bad than others.   
  
"There are a few other important things about dungeons that I need to explain, but I think I'll go through those as we go along. Are you ready to go in? I'll lead for the first floor, and then you can decide if you want to lead or go second. Just follow me as closely as you can, ok? I'll give you the map as well so you can check it if you get lost, " said Glow.   
  
I nodded my assent, and Glow lead the way into the twisted forest. As soon as we entered I knew something was off. For one, the forest up until now had definitely not been laid out in long corridors and square rooms, with impenetrable walls of trees on all sides. Second, the map that Glow had given me seemed to be magical. As we walked, it filled in the layout of the parts we had visited, the path we followed being preserved on the map.    
  
I followed Glow as he wandered around, clearly lost. I would've made suggestions if I'd known what he was looking for. As he had said, there were very few other creatures in the dungeon. Only a single Kut-Ku, which looked a bit skeptical of Glow, and took off squawking at the sight of me.   
  
"So," said Glow as we walked down another long corridor. "This is the Sunwood, and we're currently on the first floor. Dungeons are broken up into floors, and one of the only things that stays consistent about a dungeon is the number of floors it has. Every floor has a set of stone stairs—don't look at me like that, I don't get it either—and that's what I'm looking for. Once you go up or down the stairs, you can't go back to the previous floor, so try not to leave anyone behind as you go along. This dungeon is very short, probably because the Sunwood itself isn't very big. It only has three floors. Follow me for a while longer until we find the stairs. Then, on the next floor, I'll let you lead for a while, ok?"   
  
I was still trying to process the fact that this warped physics zone apparently caused stone stairs to sprout in random places. Including _forests_. I followed Glow as he continued to wander blindly through the twisted corridors. He lead us to a dead end more than once. Eventually, we came to a room, and I saw the stairs Glow was talking about. As I reached the base of the stairs, I looked up to try and get a glimpse of the next floor.   
  
And my mind almost  _ broke _ .   
  
Instead of another floor like the one we were on, all I could see was a shifting mass of trees and colours, churning and twisting in impossible ways. I suddenly felt the urge to retch at the sheer  _ wrongness _ of what I was seeing. Above me, Glow winced.   
  
"Sorry. I forgot to warn you not to look straight up to the top of the stairs. My guess for what's going on there is that the dungeon hasn't stabilised its layout yet. So you just see…  _ that _ . Try not to look at it again, ok? A friend of mine literally threw up one time, all over my tail, and then I had to clean him and myself up while an angry Congalala kept taking swings at us. It wasn't a fun experience," said Glow, cracking a small smile.   
  
I could tell he was making jokes to try and make me feel better, which I appreciated. Careful not to look up, I climbed the stairs and made it to the next floor, which looked almost exactly the same as the previous.   
  
"Do you want to take the lead? Or will I?" asked Glow.   
  
"Maybe you should. Since you're more experienced and all," I said.    
  
"It doesn't really matter. No matter how many times I come here, I'll never know my way around. Since it's different every time, and all," said Glow. "Might be useful to know at least a little bit about dungeon navigation for when we get to Cloudrest."   
  
I raised an eyebrow at that, but said nothing. "Alright, I'll lead then. And you'll just follow me?"   
  
"Like I said, the leader doesn't matter. The wonder map will make sure we don't lose track of where we've already been, and there probably won't be any enemies. But I'll tell you if I spot any treasure. Always nice to come out with a bit of extra money, right?" said Glow.   
  
With his words to bolster my confidence, I picked a corridor and walked down it. My first try took me to a dead end, so I had to squeeze past Glow to try another way. The next corridor proved a little more fruitful, and though I moved slowly at first, I got a little more self-assured and moved a little bit faster the more I went. Through random chance, I found the stairs in the first room I found, and, still careful not to look up, I ascended the stairs.   
  
We started the next floor face-to-face with a Kut-Ku. Unlike the previous ones, this one didn't run away as soon as it saw us. It lowered its head and chirped as menacingly as it could at us.   
  
"This one's a fighter, it looks like. You'll have to use a bit of force to dissuade it," said Glow.   
  
"Me? Why don't you do it?" I asked. I couldn't imagine actually using these massive teeth or claws against something.   
  
Glow turned his head to the side, avoiding eye contact. Was it just me, or did his face go just a little bit redder?   
  
"I...don't like to hurt others. Even ferals," he admitted.    
  
"Ok, but I don't know how to fight. Like, at all," I pointed out.   
  
"Well, you're a Tigrex. Why not try roaring? Kut-Kus hate loud noises, so even if it's not a particularly strong roar it should still run away," suggested Glow.   
  
Not knowing what else to do, I sucked in a breath. To my surprise, it came naturally to me. I stood up taller and let out a roar. Not a hugely impressive one, in fact it was very quiet and quite squeaky, but the Kut-Ku flinched and ran off, squawking.   
  
"Good job," said Glow, clapping his wings.   
  
"That was awful. I sounded like a kitten throwing a tantrum," I said.   
  
"You'll get better. You should see me trying to aim fireballs. It usually ends with everything but the target on fire," said Glow with a laugh.   
  
The rest of the floor passed quickly. I led us in a few circles, courtesy of the dungeon layout, but I eventually got us to the room with the stairs. But as I walked over to them, Glow stopped me.   
  
"Wait, before you keep going, look over there." He pointed his wing towards the corner of the room. A telltale sparkle told me there was more there than just dead leaves.   
  
I walked over to the sparkly corner, and there on the ground sat a little pile of gold coins. I picked one up, examining the dragon emblem engraved on it.   
  
"How did this get here?" I asked.   
  
"No one knows. These dungeons don't even begin to make sense. You'll also come across herbs, salves, berries, mushrooms, and sometimes scarves or other valuables you can sell. No one is sure how exactly this stuff gets here, but some people think that it comes from people who failed the dungeon," said Glow.   
  
"Wait, failed the dungeon?" I said. "What does that mean?"   
  
"What do you think? Take enough hits and you’ll go down eventually. The lucky ones wake up at whatever entrance they first went into, or at a waypoint if they happened to reach one. But half of their money will be gone, as well as a few random items from their bags. Almost like the dungeon is taking a toll," explained Glow.   
  
He saw my shocked expression and chuckled. "Now do you see why we call these  _ mystery _ dungeons?"   
  
"But...what...how does something like that even happen?" I asked incredulously.   
  
"Like I've said so many times before: nobody knows. It's a mystery. Anyway, those stairs should take us to the exit, so why don't you go ahead?"   
  
Sure enough, when I climbed up the stairs, I was greeted not with the dark, claustrophobic corridors of the dungeon, but the normal, brightly lit trees of the forest. Through the trees I could see the little village that Glow had mentioned.   
  
"That's Treehollow. A small place with only a few residents. It makes a nice stop when I just want to rest, but more importantly, there's a path from there to Cloudrest that doesn't have any dungeons on it. So this whole trip makes for a really nice gathering run," said Glow, walking up next to me.   
  
"Are we going straight to this Cloudrest place?" I asked.   
  
"Of course, unless you'd like to rest in Treehollow for a bit," said Glow.   
  
I thought about that for a moment. Cloudrest sounded exciting—even the name was cool and exotic sounding. But I was also tired. Still, I felt like I'd be better off getting to the city as fast as possible.   
  
"No, let's keep going," I said.   
  
"Alright. Then shall we be off?"   
  
I let Glow take the lead again. As we came out of the trees and into the village, I saw Glow giving the villagers waves and receiving a few in return, though I got a few stares. The villagers were mostly non-feral Kut-Ku, though I did see a Gypceros or two.   
  
We didn't stop, and Glow lead me to a cobblestone path.   
  
"This is a really easy road, and it's not too long either. We'll be at Cloudrest in no time," he said.   
  
Our walk passed in comfortable silence, neither of us really having anything to say. I took a little time to ponder my situation. Somehow, someway, I'd been transformed into a Tigrex, and had my memories erased too. For some reason, neither of these things seemed to bother me as much as they should. I knew I should be horrified at what I'd become, and disgusted with whatever had stolen my memories. Instead, I found myself mentally shrugging and accepting it. A side-effect of whatever did this, maybe? Instead of dwelling on it, I found myself thinking,  _ Well, for now you're Aether the Tigrex, so you may as well make the most of it _ .   
  
As we walked along the road, slowly a gleaming city became visible in the distance. It appeared to be built into the side of a mountain. I could see where it had gotten its name—it was so high up that there were clouds sitting on parts of the city, and slowly rolling over the edges of others. None of the buildings looked overly fancy, but we were perhaps a little too far away to tell properly. The whole place seemed to be made of some sort of shiny pale blue stone.    
  
Glow grinned. "Like what you see? That's home up there on the hill."   
  
The city grew larger and larger as we approached, and I began to realise just how high up it truly was. Even the lower parts of the city required me to crane my neck to see them. Eventually, we were standing almost directly underneath it. I groaned as I realised the the path now changed into a set of steep stairs, winding their way up the mountain and presumably into the city.   
  
"Now we have a choice," said Glow. "We can take the appropriately named Five Thousand Steps, or..." He shook out his wings, "...we can take a shortcut."   
  
Some dim memory in the far reaches of my mind caused me to say, "But can't Tigrexes not fly? I'm pretty sure they can only glide."   
  
"That's true and not true. You can fly, just not very high and not very far. But you could make it up to the city if you tried it. I've seen other Tigrexes do it before," said Glow.   
  
I was a little conflicted. I really didn't relish the prospect of climbing five thousand very steep looking steps. But I also wasn't too keen on the idea of falling out of the sky again by trying and failing to fly. So far, whatever had transformed me had been kind enough to give me the muscle memory required for walking, but flying was a whole other issue.   
  
"I'll try it, but don't expect any miracles," I said.   
  
"I saw enough of those earlier when you were somehow unharmed after your sudden fall," said Glow with a slight smile.   
  
He unfurled his massive wings and took off effortlessly, hovering next to me. He made it look very easy. The thumping sound of his wings was even and rhythmic, and he didn't wobble, sway, or even subtly change altitude.   
  
"Stop showing off," I grumbled at him.   
  
He grinned in response. "Don't try and copy me. I don't know much about being a Tigrex, but from what I've seen they usually take off by jumping way up and then going from there. Just try whatever feels natural."   
  
I squared myself in the ground, preparing to leap upwards, and doing my absolute best to not overthink what would come after that. Once again, my body seemed to know what to do, even if I didn't.   
  
When I jumped, I went a lot higher than I expected to. I knew Tigrexes were meant to have strong muscles, but I rocketed into the air much faster and higher than I ever thought I would. I panicked for a moment, but then I instinctually opened my wings and started beating them. A lot less gracefully than Glow, who was already soaring up to the city, I rose upwards. Soon, I was slightly higher than the level of the city, which was good because my shoulders were starting to ache a little bit. It was time to start gliding. I held out my wings and glided with surprising speed down to the city.   
  
Unfortunately, landings were an acquired skill rather than an intrinsic one, and I made my entrance by barrelling straight into a passing Great Jaggi. Me and the unfortunate victim tumbled over each other for a moment, ending with him on top of me in a heap. The Jaggi glared at me.   
  
"Watch where you're landing, clumsy!" he snapped before walking off.   
  
"Sorry!" I called after him.   
  
Glow landed next to me. Of course, he didn't run over anyone.   
  
"That was pretty good for a first flight, though we do need to work on your landings," he said.   
  
"For now," he continued, "Welcome to Cloudrest!"   
  



	2. Showdown at Static Meadow!

I was in awe of Cloudrest simply for how pretty it was. The rolling mist gave everything an otherworldly sparkle. The buildings were made of a faintly glowing greyish-blue material, decorated with all sorts of wall-paintings and carvings, as well as a few inlaid gems. The smooth streets appeared to be paved with polished marble and more of that same strange material.   
  
Glow must've caught me staring, because he gave a soft laugh. "Enjoying the sights?"   
  
"What is this stuff?" I asked, examining the ground. The huge flagstones had a vague oval shape to them, and as I looked at them a little closer, they had little dimples and creases in them as well.   
  
"Dragon scales, if you believe the stories," said Glow, starting to walk off.   
  
"Dragon scales?" I repeated as I followed him through the streets.   
  
"Well, the story goes that there used to be a town at the base of the mountain. But one day Ashen Lao Shan Lung trampled and destroyed it by accident. To apologise, he gave the villagers his scales so they could rebuild. To make sure he didn't crush it again, the villagers built the new city into the side of the mountain, and that's how Cloudrest was born," explained Glow, expertly weaving his way through the crowds, leaving me to struggle behind.   
  
"Interesting story," I said. "Wonder if it's true."   
  
"Well if you ever see a moving mountain, flag him down and ask," said Glow with a slight smirk.   
  
Glow led me through the bustling streets. There were so many different species of monsters, all going about their business around us. A Qurupeco hawked his wares, while a Brachydios was offering his services as a heavy lifter. A pack of Velociprey followed a Velocidrome through the streets, stooping to pick up dropped coins wherever they could. Glow ignored all of this, though, and kept walking, towards the top of a hill, where I could see a rather large building waiting.   
  
When we reached the huge building, Glow stopped. "Here we are," he said. "This is Explorer's Lull, where I live."   
  
Like the rest of the city, Explorer's Lull was made of the supposed dragon scales. It was also covered in wall-paintings, mostly depicting various monsters engaged in battles or holding treasure. The most common figure appeared to be a Diablos, followed by what looked like a Yian Garuga. There were others there too, like a Gravios, a Najarala, and an Astalos.   
  
"What's up with the drawings?" I asked.   
  
"Oh, we put those there whenever someone does something really special. We are explorers after all. Most of us like to be recognised in some way for what we do," said Glow.   
  
I scanned the wall, but though there were dozens of drawings, not a single one showed a Rathalos. I didn't say anything, but instead followed Glow through the doors and into the lodge.   
  
The interior of the lodge was quite cozy-looking. A soft carpet of grass, broken by the occasional stone or scale, covered the floor. A fire blazed in the massive hearth, around which were laid out several cushions and straw piles. One of those straw piles was currently occupied by an Astalos, presumably the one in the drawings outside. He was poring over a map and reading a letter of some sort. I glanced up at the high ceiling and jumped when I spotted a pair of red eyes staring down at me.  In the darkness of the rafters, I could just barely make out a Nargacuga, draped across the beams and watching me with curiosity.   
  
Several corridors branched out from the main room, leading who knows where. A large bulletin board was set up on the back wall, covered in letters and 'Wanted' posters. Other than the Astalos and Nargacuga, there didn't seem to be anyone else here.   
  
The Astalos looked up from his map, "Oh hey, Glow. Who's that?"   
  
"Her name is Aether. Well, for now anyway," said Glow.   
  
I waved a claw awkwardly.   
  
The Astalos raised a brow, but said nothing. "So is she looking to join the guild?"   
  
"That's a good question, actually," said Glow, turning to me a little sheepishly. "I didn't even ask..."   
  
"What kind of guild is this?" I asked, though I was pretty sure I already knew the answer.   
  
Glow opened his mouth to answer, but the Astalos cut him off. "We're a band of explorers, serving the legendary adventurers Mournful Miasma and Courageous Charge. We rescue people, find treasure, map out the world, and are just generally awesome," said the Astalos, like he was making a sales pitch.   
  
I wasn't entirely sure how to respond to that, so I just said "Cool." I purposefully avoided mentioning how 'Mournful Miasma' didn't exactly sound like a friendly name.   
  
"So would you like to try and join?" asked Glow.   
  
I thought about that for a second. Did I want to join this guild? I suppose it was more a question of what I would do otherwise. Stuck in a strange world with no memories, and only a small pile of coins found in a forest to my name. It seemed like joining the guild was kind of my only option...   
  
"Yeah, sure," I finally answered. "How do I sign up?"   
  
"You'll have to go through me first," said a new voice.   
  
I turned, along with Glow and the Astalos, to the source of the voice. I tried my hardest not to stare, but it was pretty tough.    
  
Standing in the entrance to one of the corridors was a Yian Garuga, but one who looked like she'd seen her fair share of fights. Her entire body was criss-crossed with scars, with many of her spiny shells being cracked or snapped off. Greenish moss lightly covered her wings and tail, but what was most unsettling was her face. One eye was completely gone, only a huge, messy scar left in its place, and I highly doubted she could hear through the tattered remains of her left ear. Her remaining eye burned with a disturbing red fervour, seeming to leave an afterglow as she walked towards us.   
  
"Hi, boss," said Glow.   
  
"Welcome back. I trust you had no problems in the woods?" said the Garuga.   
  
"No, none at all, except finding Aether here," said Glow, glancing back at me.   
  
The Garuga turned to me. "So, you'd like to join our guild, is it?" she asked.   
  
"Uh...yes ma'am," I said, not sure how to address her.   
  
"Then I'm afraid you're going to have to do a little test first," said the Garuga. "My name is Mournful Miasma, and I'm the current guildmaster. My job? It's to make sure that no one gets hurt on my watch. But that's a two-way street. I protect my explorers when necessary, and in return, they're strong enough to handle themselves so that it is rarely necessary. And so I can't let you join us until you prove that you can survive without a babysitter."   
  
"What's the test?" I asked. I wasn't totally confident I could do it, but what did I have to lose? Other than some limbs, of course.   
  
"There's a place to the south of here called Static Meadow. In the deepest part of the meadow, there's a special type of insect. They glow a very distinctive blue. You can't miss them. Catch one for me and bring it back as proof that you got through Static Meadow," said Miasma.   
  
All I had to do was go bug-catching? But then why did Glow look horrified?   
  
"But, boss..." said Glow. "That's way too dangerous. You didn't make me do the test. Can't you let Aether off too?"   
  
Miasma gave him a stern look. "That's different. You're a non-combatant. This girl needs to prove herself. And Static Meadow is the place to do it."   
  
Glow looked as if he might protest some more, but gave up and hung his head in defeat. "Alright..."   
  
Miasma nodded, then looked at me again. "You can bring whatever you like. Silent Shadow will give you some basic supplies."   
  
"Ok," I said, wondering who 'Silent Shadow' was.   
  
I nearly jumped out of my scales when I realised that the Nargacuga had at some point jumped down from the rafters and crept up next to me. I hadn't even heard her move. I only noticed her when I felt her softly breathing in my ear. Honestly, I had forgotten she was even there.   
  
The Nargacuga, presumably named Silent Shadow, said nothing, but turned and walked away, totally quiet. She gestured with her head for me to follow. I followed her through the hallways into a room. A single straw bed was laid out, though it looked like it hadn't seen much use. Shadow walked over to a pile of miscellaneous clutter by the wall, and pulled out a bag, which she gave to me.   
  
It was similar to the one Glow had been wearing, but it lacked the badge and the healer's cross. I opened it and saw a few pouches full of some strange powder, various seeds of different colours and sizes, some bandages, some bottles of medicine, a scarf, and a strange-looking orb.    
  
"Um, what is all of this?" I asked Shadow.   
  
She said nothing, instead directing my attention to a book on the ground, opened to a blank page. I watched as Shadow picked up a pencil, and, holding it in her mouth, began to draw pictures and write explanations for everything in the bag. When she was finished, she carefully tore out the page and gave it to me.   
  
"Uh, thanks," I said. I felt more than a little awkward talking to someone who didn't answer back.    
  
Shadow smiled and led me back to the main room.   
  
"All kitted out?" asked Miasma.   
  
I nodded. "Good," she said. "Sky Stinger will take you to Static Meadow."   
  
"I will?" said the Astalos.   
  
"Sky Stinger will take you to Static Meadow," repeated Miasma without missing a beat.   
  
The Astalos, Sky Stinger I was guessing, looked from his map, to the letter he was reading, to Miasma, to me, and then back to Miasma before sighing and standing up.   
  
"Alright fine. Come on then," he said, walking towards the entrance.   
  
"Good luck!" called Glow as I left the building.   
  
I followed Sky Stinger back out into the shining streets of Cloudrest. He took a much more efficient route than Glow had, taking to the air and expertly weaving his way through all the flying traffic. Thankfully, he lit up his wings for me so I didn't lose track of him amongst the other wyverns in the air.   
  
Rather than head towards the stairs, Sky Stinger flew directly south, quickly reaching the end of the city. I looked over the edge, suddenly dizzy. It was a lot higher up than it seemed. I recoiled and drew back from the ledge, shaking my head to clear it.   
  
Sky Stinger gave me a look. "What's up? Afraid of heights or something?"   
  
"Maybe slightly," I said.   
  
Sky Stinger tilted his head and chirped quizzically. It was quite adorable, but I doubted he'd appreciate me saying that. "Weird. I've never met a flying wyvern who's afraid of heights," he said. "Do you want to take the stairs or something?"   
  
"Can I?" I asked hopefully.   
  
Sky Stinger gave me a wicked grin. "Nope."   
  
Then he shoved me over the edge. I shrieked, quite understandably, to the sound of Sky Stinger's laughter behind me.   
  
To my great surprise, I  _ didn't _ wind up in a crater again, but rather I instinctively opened my wings and glided safely, if not gracefully, to the ground below, where I stood panting and trying not to have a heart attack.   
  
Sky Stinger landed next to me, enjoying my plight far too much. "You have wings, you're meant to use 'em! Seems you just needed a little push."   
  
I glared at him. "Never do that again," I growled.   
  
His answer was to laugh some more. "C'mon, I'll show you the way to Static Meadow," he said.   
  
I followed him down the road for a while, but eventually the road ran out and we were walking on trails of flattened grass. Chirps, chitters, and the rustling of leaves echoed all around. The shadow of a Seregios passed overhead at one stage, and I spotted Sky Stinger glaring at it.   
  
"What's up?" I asked him as we kept walking.   
  
"I think that was one of the guys from Team Strife. I don't like those two, and if he's here then the other isn't far behind," replied Stinger, glancing around through the grass. "You see a Deviljho, you take off running, ok? She's nothing but trouble."   
  
The grass grew taller as we continued south towards Static Meadow. Stinger took off, scanning the grass and continuing to lead me. At some point, I started to notice sparks jumping between the blades of grass, as well as swarms of glowing Thunderbugs. Guess I knew where the name came from now.   
  
Finally, Stinger landed. The foliage had thinned out, leaving me in a small clearing surrounded by walls of grass. A strange purple box lay next to a thin opening in the grass. The closer I looked, the more it seemed like something was off about the vegetation.   
  
"Well, this is where I was supposed to take you. I hope you remember the way back, because I'm not waiting. Someone needs rescuing from a dungeon back by Cloudrest. I'll see you back at the lodge." With that, he took off, leaving me alone.   
  
I had my doubts that this was just a normal meadow. Peering into the foliage, I realised what was wrong with it. The air itself was twisting and warping. It seemed Static Meadow was a mystery dungeon. I figured it might be best to take a look at the things that Shadow had given me before I went in.   
  
I opened the bag and pulled out the sheet of paper she'd given me. Despite the fact that she'd been working with her mouth, her drawings were very detailed, and the penmanship was perfectly legible. She'd even used a dainty cursive font. Of course, I hadn't a clue what language she'd used. But that didn't stop me from understanding, oddly enough.   
  
According to the instructions, the scarf was a neat accessory that would make you physically stronger. I had my doubts about the plain-looking white scarf, but I slipped it around my neck anyway. It was probably some form of uniform or good-luck charm or something.   
  
The rest of the objects all appeared to be medicines of some sort. Eat this herb for a basic painkiller, rub this liquid on a burn, and so on and so forth. Feeling reasonably confident that I wasn’t going to die horribly, I repacked the bag and hung it round my neck, before steeling myself and stepping into the gap in the grass.   
  
I shuddered a little bit as I entered the dungeon. The towering foliage seemed to press in from all sides, blocking out even the sky. The walls came alive with flying sparks and the trilling of thunderbugs, and I could’ve sworn I spotted eyes watching me from the darkness.   
  
There was no way to go but forward, so forward I went. Though the walls hummed, the path was oddly empty. The first room I came to had a sleeping Genprey in the corner, which I decided to leave alone. Something gleamed near the exit of the room, but to my disappointment, it was only a seed that supposedly made you stronger. Still, I picked it up. It might come in handy.   
  
The room only had one exit, so I pressed on. The path turned corners and split off frequently. At one point I walked in a massive circle before finally finding the correct path. My efforts were rewarded as the next room I came to held the staircase. These stairs went down instead of up, so I was careful to fix my eyes above as I walked down.   
  
The room I arrived in was much less friendly than the last. As soon as I got my bearings, I found myself gazing into the eyes of a Gendrome. His long fangs gleamed in the light of the thunderbugs, and he reared up and let out a piercing cry. At once, four Genprey flooded the room, seeming to come out of nowhere. The little wyverns had me surrounded. There was no fleeing. I had to fight.   
  
The Gendrome struck quick and sudden, leaping forward to nip at me with his fangs. I just barely pulled my head back in time, before lashing out with my own, considerably stronger jaws. The Gendrome was too quick for me, hopping back and out of reach while my mouth closed on nothing.   
  
Reeling from my missed strike, I felt a sudden prick on my back. Twisting my neck, I saw a pair of Genprey had latched on and were clawing at the tough shells on my back. Not sure how else to get rid of them, I reared back and rolled over, trying to crush the annoying little pests with my weight. I heard a satisfying yelp as one of the Genprey couldn’t jump off in time.   
  
The other one, however, escaped. As I turned to try and take it out, I heard the Gendrome issuing orders again, and suddenly the other two Genprey were behind me, biting and clawing my left leg. The Gendrome himself rushed at my face, deadly fangs and claws at the ready. I swung my head at him and managed to catch him off guard. He staggered a bit, but was otherwise unharmed.   
  
The third Genprey had joined his two packmates in gnawing on my leg, but their strikes weren’t hurting that much. In fact, they weren’t hurting at all. As soon as the realisation hit me, I felt myself tilting to one side as my leg started spasming and twitching. I growled and tried to get my leg back under control, but it was no good. The numbness was spreading fast.   
  
The Gendrome seemed pleased with himself, and he struck out at my face again, claws aimed at my eyes. Without a working set of legs to hop back with, I could only close my eyes and hope for the armor plating on my face to stop the worst of the blows.   
  
While the Gendrome scratched at my face, I twisted my head and bit at him. Luckily for me, my blind strike caught the Gendrome by the arm, and he squealed in shock. What little I could feel of the Genprey’s assault stopped, as the little creatures seemed unsure of what to do.   
  
With the Gendrome’s arm clasped firmly in my jaws, I opened my eyes again. The Gendrome was determined, as despite the bone-breaking pressure I was putting on his arm, he still tried to bite and scratch at me. Unfortunately for him, my head was too armoured for his fangs to pierce without a lot of effort.   
  
My legs had gone almost completely numb, but my neck still worked, and I swung the Gendrome as hard as I could, smashing him against the ground. He shrieked in pain and redoubled his efforts to paralyse me, but it was no use. Over and over again I bashed him on the ground, until the Genprey’s venom finally got the better of me and I was forced to let him go.   
  
Somehow, he wasn’t dead, but he was clearly in no shape to fight. The arm I’d been holding was well past broken, and his legs didn’t look too good either. One of his signature crests had snapped off, which didn’t bode well for his status as pack leader. Indeed, his Genprey seemed to have slunk off once the tables had turned.   
  
As much as I would’ve liked to clear out as fast as I could, the paralysing venom was holding me in place. Thankfully, the Gendrome had no intention of starting round two. He picked himself up and slowly limped away, leaving me to simply lie on the floor and wait for the venom to wear off.   
  
Soon, the adrenaline wore off and the multitude of small cuts and scratches I’d gotten started to sting. In particular, my left leg was starting to burn with the pain of all the bites and the lingering venom. Still, I took it as a good sign that the venom was finally wearing off. Eventually, my legs started tingling, and with a bit of effort I was able to pull myself up and get a move on.   
  
I left the room, now full of torn-off scales and a dead Genprey, and hobbled out into a long corridor. The Gendrome was long gone, and with luck I wouldn’t have to deal with him or any others again, because I wasn’t sure I could handle being swarmed like that again.   
  
The corridor eventually lead me to another room. A pile of coins lay in a corner, and I helped myself as I passed through. After all, it’s not like anyone was using them. This room had two exits, so I mentally flipped a coin and took the path on the right. The path on the right turned out to be a dead end, so I went back into the room and found myself looking at one of the Genprey from before.   
  
It seemed to want nothing more to do with me, because it took one look at me before running back towards the room I’d come from. I breathed a sigh of relief that I wouldn’t have to fight again before walking down the other path. This time, I reached the room with the staircase and bounded down without a second thought.   
  
The next floor didn’t land me face-to-face with an enemy, thankfully. There was a tattered old scarf on the ground, a blue one. It probably wasn’t worth anything, but I picked it up just in case. It could be another good luck charm like the one I was wearing.   
  
This floor’s corridors were long but straight, and navigating was no trouble at all. As I approached a corner, the figure of a Genprey stepped out ahead. The small monster hissed threateningly at me, but made no moves to call a Gendrome or attack. We stood for a moment, staring each other down. I couldn’t go forward without going past the Genprey, but it didn’t seem inclined to budge.   
  
Suddenly, an idea flashed into my mind. I wasn’t quite sure where, but somewhere I remembered seeing a Tigrex toss a boulder at me. Maybe that would work. I dug my right claw into the ground and threw the resulting chunk of dirt at the Genprey. It was really more of a mud pie than a boulder, but it seemed to intimidate the bird wyvern enough for it to turn tail and run.   
  
Upon chasing the Genprey off, I found myself in the room with the stairs. Good, because I wasn’t keen on wandering in the maze for any longer than I had to. I wasn’t sure how long my trip through Static Meadow would be. By my count, this would be the fourth floor.   
  
This floor seemed to be another peaceful one, thankfully. There were no signs of Genprey or Gendromes anywhere, and the first room even had a pile of coins for me to take. There were two exits from the room, but I could see from where I was that one of them was a dead end, so I took the other path.   
  
This floor seemed totally lifeless. There were absolutely no monsters, and barely any treasure. It gave me the distinct impression that something dangerous was lurking up ahead. When I found the staircase, I was almost afraid to take it. But there wasn’t any other way out that I knew of, so I steeled myself and descended the staircase.   
  
The first thing I noticed when I hit the next floor was the odd layout. There were no corridors or rooms. Indeed, the grass all around me no longer looked like oppressive walls, but just like normal grass. Was this the deepest part of the dungeon? There was a clearing up ahead, so I pressed forward.   
  
The thunderbugs in the area seemed to be far more excited than the ones I’d been seeing, flitting around faster and trilling even louder. Furthermore, some of them were glowing blue.   
  
_ These must be the bugs Miasma asked me to get, _ I thought.   
  
As I started digging into the bag for the jar I was supposed to use, I caught sight of a figure up ahead. I walked a little closer and saw that it was a Zinogre, wearing some sort of odd veil and humming a tune to herself. She seemed to be tending to the thunderbugs, offering them flowers she held in her massive paw.    
  
She didn’t seem to be feral, so I relaxed a little bit. “Um, excuse me,” I called.   
  
The Zinogre jumped. “Oh, hello. I didn’t see you coming,” she said. She put down the flowers and shook her head to get the veil off. “Are you here to hurt my friends?” she asked, glancing around nervously.   
  
“Not unless your friends are Genprey,” I answered, somewhat unnerved.   
  
“Oh, good. Can’t have people hurting my friends, that wouldn’t do. Friends are important. Gotta keep them safe,” said the Zinogre, still looking every which way.   
  
Something about the Zinogre was giving me weird vibes. Maybe it was how jittery and nervous she seemed. Or maybe it was the way she seemed to be looking at me as though she was about to pounce.   
  
“Why are you here, if not to hurt my friends?” asked the strange Zinogre.   
  
“I was sent here to catch a special type of bug. One that glows blue. There’s a whole bunch of them here, so if you don’t mind I’ll just get one and be on my way,” I said.   
  
Suddenly, the Zinogre howled. “Oh, I just knew it! You  _ are _ here to try and take my friends away from me!” All of the blue thunderbugs in the area swarmed over to the Zinogre, whose fur started sparking and standing on end. “You think you can get away with barging into my home and trying to steal my friends away from me? Well I won’t let you!”   
  
With a howl of rage, the Zinogre lifted her electrified claw and slammed it down. I only barely managed to hop back in time to avoid it. Sparks and excited thunderbugs flew where she struck, aimed directly at me. The swarm of thunderbugs charged at my right claw, giving me a strong jolt and causing me to reel back.   
  
“What!? Hey, calm down! I’m not looking to start a fight here!” I shouted.   
  
The Zinogre ignored me and pressed her advantage, charging forward intent on ramming me. Her horns ground against the plating on my face and the flying sparks stung, making my ears twitch. Since it worked so well before, I twisted my head and lashed out with my jaws, but the Zinogre was smarter than the Gendrome, and pulled back to avoid having her skull crushed.   
  
As the Zinogre backed up, it was my turn to press the advantage. I dug into the ground and tossed a clod of soil. It didn’t do any actual damage, but the dirt annoyed the Zinogre, and some of it got in her eyes, blinding her. While she was distracted, I charged her down.    
  
I raised a claw to strike at the Zinogre’s chest, but I was in for a nasty surprise. The coursing static electricity leapt from her chest right into my claw, instantly causing my muscles to seize up. Seeing as I was forced to retreat for the moment, the Zinogre didn’t waste an opportunity. She shook her head to clear the last of the dirt, before suddenly doing a compete backflip, catching me in the face with her flat, electrified tail. The current assaulted my senses, making my vision temporarily explode in a haze of flashing lights and colours.   
  
The surging electricity was making the fight much harder than it needed to be. Of course, there didn’t need to be a fight in the first place, but the Zinogre just had to get aggressive. If I wanted any chance of winning, I was going to have to knock the charge out of her one way or another. It dawned on me that when the Zinogre had rammed me, her horns hadn’t given me an electric shock. Perhaps that was where I should be focusing my attacks.   
  
With a vague plan in mind, I dodged another claw swipe and lashed out with my own claws, aiming for the Zinogre’s horns. Sure enough, the jolt of electricity never came. Instead, I heard the Zinogre yowl as I hit her full-force in the head. Still, she managed to hold onto her charge, and she was quick to recover, sending another ball of thunderbugs my way.   
  
I wasn’t quite fast enough to dodge the projectile, and the little insects sent their stored charge straight into my chest. I felt my heart give a squeeze as my muscles locked up. Noticing I was stunned from the strike, the Zinogre turned to slam her massive shoulder at me, knocking me completely off balance and onto the ground.   
  
“Ok, I’m on the ground now, can we talk about this?” I pleaded.   
  
The Zinogre had no mercy, sending another group of thunderbugs my way. I was forced to take the brunt of it, but I managed to haul myself off the ground just in time to dodge the Zinogre’s next claw swipe.   
  
Howling like mad, the Zinogre ran towards me, before suddenly leaping up and flipping onto her back, landing in a shower of sparks and thunderbugs. It was all I could do to get out of the way unsinged. In the wake of the Zinogre’s wild attack, I spotted an opportunity. The attack had left the Zinogre on her back on the ground, completely exposed.   
  
Not wasting any time, I rushed towards her horns. I latched on with my jaws and bit down, hard. I felt a horn splinter and the Zinogre screeched. Suddenly, the fur along her back fell into its usual position as the panicked thunderbugs fled. I didn’t want to harm the Zinogre any more than I already had, so I spat out a shard of horn in my mouth and stepped back.   
  
For a moment, she didn’t move or make a sound. Then she slowly stood up and shook herself off, glaring at me.   
  
“You...you ruffian!” she yelled. “You burst in here out of nowhere, try to take my friends, and then you have the gall to attack me? I won’t let you get out of here scot-free!”   
  
She started calling more thunderbugs, but I had had enough.   
  
**“Will you please just listen to me?”** I shouted in a voice approaching a full-throated roar.    
  
The Zinogre stopped charging and just stared at me. For a moment, even the thunderbugs seemed frozen.   
  
“I don’t need a blue thunderbug,” I said, using an indoor voice this time.   
  
“You don’t want one of my fulgurbugs?” asked the Zinogre, almost hopefully.   
  
“It’s true I came here to get one,” I started, watching as the Zinogre’s expression hardened. “But I’ll gladly leave without one if they mean so much to you,” I hastily added.   
  
“Really?”   
  
“Really. I only needed one as proof that I got here. I can leave, and you can keep your bugs.” I backed away from the Zinogre, preparing to leave. “I’m sorry for bothering you. And I’m sorry about your horn.”   
  
The Zinogre glanced up at her shattered right horn. “It’s alright. It will heal on its own time. So long as my friends are safe, I don’t care about anything else.”   
  
I turned to leave the meadow. After all that fighting, I was eager to get back to Cloudrest. Hopefully it would be ok that I didn’t get a fulgurbug. And if it wasn’t, hopefully Miasma would lend me a bed for the night so I could get some well-earned rest.   
  
Oddly enough, the way I’d come through the meadow was gone. Instead, there was a narrow pathway through the tall grass. Following it didn’t take me back into the dungeon, but instead lead back to the entrance. I would’ve been a little miffed that I had gone through the whole dungeon for nothing, had the exit not vanished as soon as I turned my back. Poking around the grass revealed that the path was well and truly gone. More mystery dungeon shenanigans, I supposed.   
  
The sun was setting as I wandered through the grassy field Stinger had shown me earlier. It wasn’t too hard to find my way back to Cloudrest, but once I got to the base of the city I was faced with a tough decision. Climb the stairs, or try to fly? In the end I decided to climb the stairs, since I wasn’t keen on flapping my way up there without someone to catch me in case things went wrong.   
  
Well, climbing the stairs turned out to be a huge mistake. I could barely breathe by the time I dragged myself up into the city. The sun had just set, my lungs were burning and my legs shaking, but I just about managed to make my way through the streets up into Explorer’s Lull.   
  
As soon as I walked in, Miasma looked up from a stack of papers she’d been reading. “You’re back,” she said.   
  
“I am.”   
  
“Did you get the bug like I asked?” asked Miasma, her red eye seeming to burn into me.   
  
“Well, no,” I said, dreading what was to come next.   
  
“Really? And why not?”   
  
“See, there was a Zinogre. She seemed really upset about me trying to take a bug, to the point where she attacked me over it.” I gestured to the claw marks and singed patches on my scales. “In the end, I just couldn’t take one knowing that they were so important to her,” I explained.   
  
Miasma closed her eye. “I asked you to catch a bug.”   
  
“I know. I’m sorry. I suppose I failed then?”   
  
Miasma opened her eye, and there was the faint hint of a smile on her ragged beak. “No. On the contrary. You’ve passed with flying colours.”   
  
I was stunned. “But...how?”   
  
“The truth is, I lied about the purpose of the test. I knew the Zinogre would be there, and I know those fulgurbugs are more important to her than anything else in the world. It was really a test of character. Some people come to this place expecting that they will always be rewarded with treasure and glory. But just because you went through a dungeon and endured many trials, doesn’t mean you can take what you want. That would make you a thief. You won’t always come home with treasure. Had you actually returned with a fulgurbug, you would have failed, because I don’t tolerate thieves in my guild.”   
  
Miasma smiled. “Welcome to the guild, Aether. Tomorrow I’ll assign you a partner, and you can start getting to work.”   
  
I nodded, thankful that I hadn’t blown it. “Is there a place for me to sleep, or do I have to find an inn?”   
  
“Go down the hall. The second room on the left will be your room from now on,” said Miasma.   
  
I tried my best to follow the directions, but when I entered the small room, I thought I had gone the wrong way. It was the same room where Silent Shadow had assembled the bag for me, and the Nargacuga herself was curled up in a corner next to a lantern, writing something in a small journal. She looked up at me and waved a claw.   
  
“Sorry, I think I got lost. I’ll get out now,” I said.   
  
She shook her head and gestured to the straw bed.   
  
“Wait, I’m not lost? This is where I’m supposed to be sleeping?”   
  
Shadow nodded.   
  
“But there’s only one bed. And it looks like this is your room.”   
  
Shadow grinned at me, then coiled herself up and leapt into the air. I followed the movement with my eyes, and only then did I see that on one of the rafters was a pillow and a blanket. Shadow put her head on the pillow and pointed her long tail at me, then at the bed on the floor.   
  
“Oh. You sleep up there?” I asked.   
  
She nodded.   
  
“Well, I guess we’re roommates then. I hope I won’t bother you.”   
  
From up in the rafters, I heard the faintest ghost of a laugh.   
  
“I’m pretty wrecked from all that falling, walking, and fighting, so I’m gonna go to sleep now. Goodnight.”   
  
Shadow nodded and leapt down to put out the lantern in the corner.   
  
In the darkness, it didn’t take long for the drowsiness to take hold, and I dropped off to sleep almost as soon as I lay down on the bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again the version of this chapter you’re getting is slightly more polished than the FF version, though it’s not as big a difference.
> 
> As always, any comments or criticisms are well appreciated, and if you happen to spot a typo, go ahead and tell me.


	3. Talk of the Town

I was awoken somewhat rudely the next morning by someone shaking me. I blearily opened my eyes to see Shadow’s beaked face looking down at me with a slight grin. She pointed at the window, where the sun was on its way up.   
  
“I did not get to sleep long enough...” I grumbled.   
  
Shadow laughed silently, before turning and walking out the door. She gave a little flick of her tail, suggesting that I was to follow. It took me a moment to shake off the lingering sleep paralysis and wake myself up enough to actually follow her out.   
  
She lead me into the main room, where in addition to the people I had already met, there were some new faces gathered. Miasma stood in front of the fireplace, and next to her was a beat-up looking old Diablos. The other monsters were gathered in a crowd. I spotted Glow and Stinger, but there was also a Najarala, a Gravios, a Mizutsune, a Gypceros, a Tzitzi Ya-Ku, an Agnaktor, and a very pretty-looking Gold Rathian. Miasma was in the middle of addressing the group when she caught sight of me.   
  
“Ah, speak of the devil. Like I was saying, we have a new recruit joining us today. I’d like you all to meet Aether.”   
  
Heads turned in my direction, and seeming to move as one, the monsters I hadn’t yet been introduced to all crowded up to me. Except for the Gravios, who seemed unperturbed, and the Diablos, who looked a little exasperated.    
  
“Well hello, my dear,” said the Mizutsune. His voice was smooth and suave. “Quite a pretty little thing, aren’t you?”   
  
“Uh...” I tried to speak, but didn’t get very far.   
  
“I feel it would be somewhat rude not to inform you that I will be asking you for an interview later,” said the Najarala. “Please note that while some of the others will try to tell you to ignore me, ahem,  _ Sky Stinger _ , this is more or less mandatory.”   
  
“She’s not  _ that _ pretty, Dancer,” huffed the Gold Rathian. “My scales are much shinier than hers.”   
  
“Of course that’s all you care about, you-” started the Agnaktor, but he was cut off by a screeching roar from the fireplace.   
  
“Would ye give the lass some room to breathe? You lot are too excited for yer own good sometimes,” said the Diablos. I was guessing that she was the one who had roared.   
  
The Diablos walked up to me, and the small crowd parted. “Sorry about that, lass. This lot don’t often get to see a new face. They’re a wee bit overexcited.” The Diablos’ voice was kind and gentle, and she spoke with a thick accent of some sort that I couldn’t put my claw on. She reminded me of a grandmother, but she also held a strength and presence unmatched by even Miasma.   
  
The Diablos was quite impressive to look at as well. Much like Miasma, she was covered in scars and broken shells. I had noticed when she walked over that she had a distinct limp in her right leg, but the worst part of her visage was her twin horns. Or rather, her lack thereof. Where her horns should’ve been, all that remained was a pair of ragged stumps.   
  
“I’m Courageous Charge,” said the Diablos. “The wee lass must’ve thought you had something worth keeping or you wouldn’t be here, so I’m glad to have you in our family.”   
  
I tried not to giggle at the imposing, battle-scarred Miasma being referred to as a “wee lass”.    
  
Miasma chimed in, not bothering to move from where she was standing. “If you’re all done making a show of yourselves, get to work!”   
  
“Yes, Boss!” cheered the group of monsters, raising claws and wings into the air.    
  
Like magic, the crowd dispersed, the monsters all running off. The Gypceros and Tzitzi Ya-Ku both ran upstairs, while the rest of the monsters ran every which way, going out the doors or deeper into the lodge. They moved with such purpose that I couldn’t help but stand and watch them go about their business.   
  
“Well, don’t just stand there looking lost,” said Miasma, looking at me. “Come over here for a moment.”   
  
I walked over to the fireplace to face Miasma. Nearby, Glow was fiddling with something in his medic’s bag, while Shadow and the Mizutsune were reading the bulletin board.    
  
“Today, I’m going to assign you a partner. Your partner will accompany you on every expedition you go on, bar a few exceptions. No matter where you’re going or who else tags along, you’ll always have your partner by your side,” said Miasma.   
  
She tilted her head towards the bulletin board, where Shadow had pulled down a piece of paper to show the Mizutsune.   
  
“As you can see, Silent Shadow and Death Dancer are partners. I put them together because their fighting styles complement each other well. They share a weakness to thunder-based attacks, unfortunately, but both are nimble enough to avoid getting hit in the first place. But perhaps most importantly, the two get along well. Shadow is extremely shy and reserved, but despite his outgoing nature, Dancer never tries to force her into things. They are fast friends, and that is perhaps the most important thing to look for in a partner.”   
  
“You know,” remarked the Mizutsune, presumably named Dancer, “it is quite rude to discuss others while they are standing right there. Of course, m’lady has nothing but good things to say, so it is not all bad.”   
  
Miasma ignored him, and continued talking. “So, I’m going to choose a partner for you, and you’re going to do a test run with them. If it doesn’t work out, I’ll find you another. Got it?”   
  
“Got it,” I said with a nod.    
  
“Good. Now, it’s going to take me a little bit of time to ask around the guild and find you a partner, so you should explore the guild and the town. Getting your bearings now will make things easier later.”   
  
I nodded, and Miasma walked off. Now left unattended, I felt rather awkward. Glow was fixated on some potion or another that he was brewing, while Dancer and Shadow appeared to be debating the piece of paper rather fiercely, though Shadow was communicating in glares.    
  
Not sure where to go, I bolted to the nearest room exit, which happened to be the stairs. The spiral staircase went up quite high, and it also had no railings, which was mildly concerning. When I reached the top, I found myself in a small, circular room. The walls were made almost entirely of mirrors, save for a few windows. The windows seemed to have multiple panes of glass that could be swapped in and out, if the sheets of multicoloured glass lying around were any indication. Though the room was small, it currently held two occupants, the Gypceros and the Tzitzi Ya-Ku. Though by the sounds of it, they weren’t too pleased with each other’s company.   
  
“Are you colourblind, or are you just stupid? I said green, not blue,” snarked the Gypceros.   
  
“I think you’re the stupid one here,” shot the Tzitzi Ya-Ku. “The all-clear sign is blue, not green.”   
  
The Gypceros’ crest started flickering. “Look, who’s the senior one here?”   
  
“You, old-timer. Guess you’re going senile,” said the Tzitzi Ya-Ku with a smirk.   
  
“You little-”   
  
“Ahem.” I cleared my throat before things could escalate.   
  
“Oh, hello. You’re the new girl. Aether, right?” asked the Gypceros.   
  
I nodded. “Yep.”   
  
“Well, welcome to the communications hub,” said the Tzitzi Ya-Ku. “I’m guessing you wandered in here by accident. No one other than me and ol’ rubberneck here ever have any real reason to come here.”   
  
“Kindly refrain from using slurs in front of guests,” said the Gypceros, glaring at the Tzitzi Ya-Ku. “Honestly, can’t you do anything right?”   
  
“I can correct your stupid mistakes.”   
  
The Gypceros’ crest sparked a little, but he took a deep breath and moved on. “So, ignoring my rude colleague here, would you like an explanation of what goes on here?”   
  
“Sure,” I said. The Tzitzi Ya-Ku busied herself picking up coloured glass and stacking it neatly off to one side, keeping an eye on our conversation.   
  
“I’m Bright Spark. I’m the chief communications officer for the guild. The annoying little pest stacking glass over there is Flash Bulb, my assistant. And according to Miasma, she’s also my apprentice, so someday she’ll take over for me,” explained Spark. “When that happens, all of you explorer types can say goodbye to correct messages, because those are not Flash’s specialty,” he added under his breath.   
  
“Hey! I heard that, old man! And I was right this time, anyway,” said Flash.   
  
Spark ignored her. “You’ll want to take one of our code guides, because we’re how the guild communicates with explorers out in the field. The colour, number, and intensity of our flashes are used as code for messages. For instance, a single blue flash, which I may or may not have mistaken for green, is the all-clear signal.”   
  
“What happens if I’m too far away to see the flashes?” I asked.   
  
“You’ll never be too far away, because there are towers set up all around this area. You’ll always be within range of at least one tower, and all of the towers should ideally be broadcasting the same message,” said Spark.   
  
“‘Ideally’,” echoed Flash.   
  
I got the feeling that these two weren’t very good at what they did. But the guild didn’t seem to be burning down, and it seemed like they knew where things were supposed to go and what messages they were meant to send, so they couldn’t be completely useless.   
  
“Sorry for bothering you. I’ll leave now,” I said. “Thanks for telling me about your work though.”   
  
Flash waved at me as I made my perilous way down the spiral staircase. “See you!” she called.   
  
By the time I made my way back down to the ground floor, Dancer and Shadow seemed to have finished debating their sheet of paper, whatever it was. Glow was nowhere to be seen, presumably having taken his potion-brewing operation somewhere else. As soon as she saw me, Shadow inclined her head towards me with a smile.   
  
“Ah, hello, my pretty,” said Dancer as I walked over to them. “Forgive me if I am mistaken, but you’re new to the city, correct?”   
  
I nodded, wondering where he was going with this.   
  
“Well, as it would happen, my partner and I are going into town to pick up some supplies before our next adventure. Would you like to accompany us? We can show you where all the important places are,” offered Dancer.   
  
A guided tour? It sounded both helpful and intriguing. “Sure,” I said.   
  
“Splendid. Well then, if you’ll just follow my silent friend and I, we can get started.”   
  
I followed the pair out into the streets proper. Even after seeing it a few times, I still found myself eagerly breathing in the cool, damp air, gazing around in wonder. This early in the morning, the mist was thick and the city quiet, as though the fog was swallowing up all sounds. The blue dragon scales seemed to shimmer in the mist.    
  
Dancer shook out his long fur, sending bubbles everywhere, and spread his fins to catch the moisture. “Ah, what a beautiful morning. Wouldn’t you agree?”   
  
“Yeah! Such an amazing view,” I said, still looking around.    
  
The streets certainly weren’t as busy as they were yesterday, but there were a few monsters out and about, and I could smell bread baking somewhere. The delicious smell reminded me that I hadn’t eaten today. Or yesterday, for that matter. In fact, now that I was paying attention, I realised I was absolutely starving. As if to further cement that fact, my stomach grumbled loudly.   
  
Dancer gave a good-natured laugh. “I see you haven’t had breakfast. Perhaps after our little tour you can visit Garnish in the kitchen. I’m sure she’d be willing to whip something up for you.”   
  
Shadow smiled at me and tilted her head towards a nearby storefront, where a very sleepy-looking Qurupeco was leaning his head on the wooden counter. The sign above him depicted a bottle of steaming green liquid, suggesting that it was a medicine shop.   
  
“Remedy! Look lively, I’ve come inquiring after the price of potions today,” said Dancer, addressing the Qurupeco.   
  
The Qurupeco snapped to attention. “Hah? Uh, welcome to Healing Remedy’s salve shop, where you can find the fix you need for a reasonable price... oh, it’s just you. What do you two want? And who’s your friend?”   
  
“Her name is Aether. She’s a new recruit. Try not to gouge her too much, if you please,” said Dancer with no small amount of disdain. Shadow emphasised his point with a hard glare.   
  
“I do not gouge! My prices are fair for the goods I provide. It’s not my fault that confounded Rathalos friend of yours allows himself to be robbed on a daily basis. He should be charging at least the same prices as I do, but he’s too stupid to take advantage of a clear opportunity,” said Remedy, sounding somewhat offended.    
  
“Yes, yes, I’ve heard it all before,” said Dancer. “But ‘that confounded Rathalos’ hasn’t brewed any new potions yet, and we’re in need of a fresh batch. How much?”   
  
“For five, it’ll be three hundred,” said Remedy, using a wingtip to push five small vials across the counter towards Dancer. Shadow snorted.   
  
“Three hundred? Are you mad? Two hundred and no more,” haggled Dancer.   
  
“Two hundred and fifty?”   
  
“You can find the ingredients for these growing on the side of the road. Even two hundred is a bit generous.”   
  
“Fine,” said Remedy, rolling his eyes. “You’re lucky I’m such a nice guy.”   
  
Shadow rolled her eyes right back at him, clearly not impressed. Still, she opened the bag hanging around her neck and carefully rolled the vials in, while Dancer passed over a stack of golden coins.   
  
“Come again!” called Remedy cheerily as we walked away.   
  
“Honestly, where does he get off which such ridiculous prices?” wondered Dancer aloud. “Heed my advice, Aether. Don’t buy from him unless you have to. Our dear Glow is more than willing to share the medicines he brews with the rest of us. You need only ask.”   
  
“Noted,” I said. In truth, I hadn’t any real idea of what the local currency was worth, but two hundred for five potions seemed like a lot, especially given the reactions of Shadow and Dancer.   
  
The three of us continued walking through the foggy streets. Occasionally the mist would part and a monster would emerge, but it was still early enough that most of the city wasn’t awake yet. I narrowly avoided being skewered by the horn of a Seltas as he busied himself setting up the outdoor seating of what appeared to be a bar or tavern.   
  
“I’m very sorry, madam,” apologised the Seltas. Curiously enough, he was wearing a little apron, and had a tray balanced perfectly on the end of his horn. “If you come back when we are open, I will provide you with a free drink to apologise.”   
  
“Oh, it’s alright. You didn’t actually hit me, so we’re all good,” I said.   
  
“Still, my queen will be upset that I almost harmed a potential customer. Please, stop by later. I insist,” said the Seltas.   
  
“Alright,” I relented, if only to get him to stop apologising.   
  
As we walked away, Dancer turned to me. “Perhaps that was a stroke of good luck in disguise. The drinks served at the Majesty Tavern are quite delicious.”   
  
“Majesty Tavern? That’s an odd name,” I said.   
  
“Supposedly it’s so named because the Seltas who work there insisted on referring to it as ‘Her Majesty’s Tavern’,” explained Dancer. “It’s a wonderful place to relax after a long day. We of the guild often go there to unwind, and sometimes to pick up new jobs.”   
  
“So where are we headed next?” I asked. We had passed a lot of closed shops and a few that were in the process of opening. The monsters manning the stalls varied from fanged beasts to flying wyverns, but one thing they all had in common was that they looked like they wanted to go back to bed. Seemed I wasn’t the only one who didn’t like rising with the sun.   
  
“We’re heading to the general store and then to the bank. After that, I’m afraid Shadow and I will have to depart. We have a treasure hunting mission to attend to and those tend to take a lot of time. You can still explore the city at your leisure. It’s rather safe here. I expect you’ll be fine,” said Dancer.   
  
I followed my two tour guides through the streets. We mostly stuck to the main road, though we veered slightly off the beaten trail to reach the general store. Dancer negotiated with the Blangonga manning the counter, offering bits and pieces from his satchel for various amounts of money. The two of them haggled a bit, and some trades were done through barter, but in the end both seemed happy.   
  
Next stop was the bank, rather predictably situated on the main road, across from what looked like a barracks of some sort. On the way, we passed a few lesser merchants, sitting on rugs or just on the ground, arranging their mismatched collections of goods. I spotted a Pukei-Pukei, a Tetsucabra, and even another Tigrex. According to Dancer, they were travellers who were stopping to peddle some excess items before they moved on.    
  
The bank was run by a freakishly-alert Lagombi, whose long ears twitched and whose eyes carefully scanned the streets for any sign of danger. Good to know that the care of people’s money had been entrusted to someone who clearly wasn’t slacking. The bank itself consisted of a simple wooden counter like most of the other shops, with a massive metal vault behind it that looked like it could give a Rajang pause.   
  
“Good morning, Dancer, Shadow,” said the Lagombi in a sing-song voice, her cheery attitude belying the dreaded  _ morning person _ . Shadow beamed back at her and Dancer smiled.   
  
“Good morning, Mrs. Golden. How are you today?” greeted Dancer as he began pulling bags of coins from his satchel. Shadow did the same.   
  
“Wonderful,” said Mrs. Golden. She looked towards me. “I don’t believe we’ve met. What’s your name?”   
  
“I’m Aether,” I said, surprised at how gentle and motherly she seemed to be. After how carefully she’d been watching the street, I’d expected someone more...intimidating.   
  
“Ah, a new recruit are you? I can tell by the sparkle of excitement in your eyes,” said Mrs. Golden with a wink as she counted the coins that Dancer and Shadow had given her. When she finished counting, she turned and carefully deposited the money into the vault.   
  
“I recommend you make an account here with me, dear,” said Mrs. Golden. “You’ll lose a nice chunk of change if you fall in battle. But leave it with me and I’ll guard it as fiercely as Kulve Taroth herself! I’ve never lost so much as a single monha in all my long years. Your money will be safe with me, I guarantee it.”   
  
So the money here was called monha. Good to know, since I’d been wondering but was too embarrassed to ask.   
  
“I will, once I actually have some money to deposit,” I said.   
  
Mrs. Golden waved a paw at us as we walked away. Shadow and Dancer checked their bags over one last time, before turning to me.   
  
“Now, my dear Aether, we must be off. You know where the lodge is from here, right? It’s at the northmost edge of the city, on top of the slope,” said Dancer.   
  
“I want to look around a little bit more, but I’ll try not to get lost,” I said.   
  
“Very well. See you later!” he called, walking away. Shadow smiled at me and waved a claw before turning to leave with her partner.   
  
Left alone in the beautiful streets, I wandered aimlessly to see what else the city had to offer. The mist was starting to clear up as the sun climbed higher, and the streets were looking more alive than they had before. Monsters had started walking up and down the walkways, and the shops were mostly open now, though the Brachydios at the moving and lifting stall was still asleep behind his “Open” sign.   
  
As I walked, I spotted something interesting. Down a well-kept side street, I saw a temple-like building adorned with flowers, mirrors, and hanging decorations. There was no door, so I assumed it was open. Curiosity piqued, I headed over.   
  
Once I got there, I was struck by the scent of incense, and the serene atmosphere within. The building’s interior was constructed of finely crafted wood, with tapestries and paintings on the walls depicting many figures that I recognised as Elder Dragons. There was an altar in the back, with candles and incense burning, and a massive tapestry of what appeared to be Shah Dalamadur hung on the wall. The shrine, or whatever it was, seemed empty, so I cautiously walked in to look at all the amazing sculptures, wood carvings, and other works of art that were set up in here.   
  
“Welcome, visitor,” said a voice.   
  
I nearly jumped out of my scales. I hadn’t realised anyone else was in here. Glancing around, I spotted the one who had spoken. A dark figure sat in the shadows in front of the altar. With such dark scales, I hadn’t even seen them. Their voice was oddly androgynous, and I couldn’t tell by looking at them whether they were a male or a female.   
  
The mysterious figure stood up and approached, and only then did I realise that it was a Gore Magala. The Gore Magala was garbed in a long, flowing blue robe that covered its wings, and it had a small pouch full of white berries hung round its neck.   
  
“The Tigrex is the first visitor this one has had today,” said the Gore Magala. “Forgive this one for not greeting the Tigrex when she first arrived.”   
  
It took me a second to decipher what the Gore Magala had said. It had such an odd speech pattern. Maybe that was a shrine attendant thing? Or was it just a Gore Magala thing?   
  
“Um, no, that’s alright. I was only curious about what was in here. I’m sorry to have bothered you, um...” I trailed off, looking for a name or a title or anything that I could use.   
  
The Gore Magala laughed softly. “This one is called Cloak. This one’s kind lack genders, but the Tigrex may refer to this one as Brother if she so chooses,” said Cloak.   
  
“Alright, Cloak,” I said, relieved to have something to call...him? It?   
  
“The Tigrex said she was curious about the shrine? Would it be presumptuous of this one to assume that the Tigrex has not seen a shrine such as this before?” asked Cloak. Its gaze was oddly piercing for something which had no eyes.   
  
“Erm, no, I haven’t,” I answered.   
  
“That is odd. Where is the Tigrex from, if this one may ask?”   
  
“Someplace far away,” I said, if only because ‘I don’t know’ would’ve raised too many questions.   
  
“Far away indeed for the Tigrex to have not heard of the blessings of our great Shah. This one was under the impression that all lands were at least aware of His Greatness,” said Cloak.   
  
“So this is a shrine dedicated to Shah Dalamadur?” I asked, eager to move away from the topic of where I was from.   
  
“Indeed. It is by the Shah’s blessing that we all were granted life, way back in the beginning. This one also furnishes the offering of thanks to the lesser Elders for the blessings they provide. This one will provide a listening ear, or words of comfort, though it does not recommend physical contact, for fear of Frenzy outbreaks.” It smiled at that last bit, as though it was making a joke.   
  
“I see. Thanks for telling me about this place. It really is a lovely shrine,” I said. I wasn’t lying when I said it was a nice place. The craftsmanship on all of the art was exquisite, and I could tell that Cloak put a lot of work into keeping it clean and tidy.   
  
“This one thanks the Tigrex for her kind words. Will the Tigrex be needing anything else?” asked Cloak.   
  
“No, I’ll leave you alone now,” I said, turning to leave.   
  
“May the Shah smile upon us all,” said Cloak as I left.   
  
Stepping back out into the cool, misty streets was a bit of a shock after being inside the warm, incense-choked shrine. I took a moment to clear my head. My stomach was still growling, so I decided it was about time to head back to the lodge and see about getting some food. I had a vague idea of where it was, so I started heading in the direction I thought was north.   
  
As I was walking out of the side street, I suddenly felt my right foreleg collide with something soft, nearly tripping me up.   
  
“Ow-ow-ow! Watch where you’re going!” said an irritated-sounding voice.    
  
Looking down, I saw a Velociprey rubbing at his back where I’d presumably just kicked him, glaring at me.   
  
“Oh! I’m sorry, I didn’t see you there,” I said.   
  
“You better be sorry,” said the Velociprey with no hint of forgiveness. “I’m delicate goods, see?”   
  
I opened my mouth to snap a retort, but before I could, a Velocidrome and two more Velociprey walked over to us.   
  
“What’s going on over here?” asked the Velocidrome.   
  
“Oh boss, you won’t believe it. This mean lady  _ kicked _ me! And she’s not even sorry!” said the Velociprey I’d accidentally run into.   
  
“You lying little-” I started, but got cut off by the Velocidrome.   
  
“Is that so? Well now, Miss, I’m afraid I’m going to have to ask you for a little...compensation,” said the Velocidrome.   
  
“Really now,” I said flatly.   
  
“Yes, really. See, my friend here is quite important to me. And he might have an injury or something that needs to be treated. So how about it? Feel like handing over any money you got? Otherwise me and the boys might have to get rough,” said the Velocidrome, while his three Velociprey cohorts bared their claws menacingly.   
  
I was suddenly very aware of the fact that these guys were trying to mug me. Could I take them? There were four of them and only one of me, but I was a lot bigger and stronger than they were.    
  
“Is there a problem here?” asked a new voice. I looked up and saw a Glavenus approaching from the main street.   
  
When the Velocidrome heard the Glavenus, he went so white I could’ve mistaken him for a Giadrome.   
  
“Sabre, my friend, how are you today?” he asked nervously, avoiding eye contact. His Velociprey cronies looked like they wanted to run away, but they were clearly too afraid to.   
  
“I’m fine, but you seem to be having an issue over here,” said the Glavenus, unimpressed.   
  
“Yes, well, you see, this Tigrex here kicked my friend, and we were just trying to get her to apologise,” said the Velocidrome in the most insincere tone I’ve ever heard.   
  
“Somehow I doubt that. I hope you’re aware that I have permission to arrest you after one more incident,” said the Glavenus.   
  
The Velocidrome gulped audibly.   
  
“And I think harassing a young lady counts as an ‘incident’.” At this, the Glavenus hefted his impressive, sharp-looking tail.   
  
Now the Velocidrome looked like he was about to faint.   
  
“Perhaps you’d best crawl back into the gutter you came from before this becomes an incident, hmm?”   
  
The Velocidrome leapt at the chance to get away. “Of course, Sabre sir! We’ll be gone so fast you won’t even know we were here! Come on boys!”   
  
The pack of crooks bolted off, quickly becoming lost in the crowd. The Glavenus sighed.   
  
“That lot is a pain in my tail,” said the Glavenus, turning to me. “Are you alright?”   
  
“I’m fine, thanks to you,” I said, grateful for his assistance. “I don’t know if I could’ve fought them off on my own.”   
  
“Well now you won’t have to. I’m Valiant Sabre, one of the guards of this fine city. I don’t believe I’ve seen you before. What’s your name?”   
  
“I’m Aether. I just joined Miasma’s guild.”   
  
“A new guild recruit, are you? If you’d like, I can walk you back there. I left my friends up there and I’d best get them back before they kill each other,” said Sabre.   
  
“Kill each other?” I asked as we walked, trying to remember who had seemed at odds earlier. Flash and Spark maybe?   
  
“They tend to disagree on just about everything. Sometimes it feels more like I’m looking after two squabbling siblings than running an exploration team, but I wouldn’t trade them for anyone,” said Sabre.   
  
Before long, we were standing outside Explorer’s Lull. Sabre smiled down at me. “Here we are,” he said.   
  
I practically ran in, eager to both meet my partner and possibly get some food. Sabre followed behind at a much more even pace. Miasma was standing in her place by the hearth, Glow standing next to her looking troubled. The Agnaktor and Gold Rathian from earlier were lounging on piles of straw, carefully avoiding one another’s gaze.   
  
The Gold Rathian noticed us first. “Oh, Sabre. And the new girl,” she said.   
  
“Hey there, Sabre. Come to free me from boredom?” said the Agnaktor.   
  
“Indeed I have, Vent. And Glimmer, you’d think you could at least try to remember Aether’s name,” said Sabre, looking between the two of them. I guess these were his friends.   
  
While the three of them started talking about places to explore or something like that, Miasma beckoned me over.   
  
“You were gone a little longer than I expected. Was everything alright? Dancer and Shadow said they’d show you around before they left,” said Miasma.   
  
“They did. I just happened to wander around on my own a little bit afterwards,” I said, carefully leaving out the part where I almost got mugged.   
  
Miasma nodded. “Well that’s alright then. Anyway, I’ve found you a partner. Want to meet him?”   
  
“Sure,” I said, though I felt like I already knew who it would be.   
  
“Glow, stop looking depressed and come over here,” said Miasma.   
  
Glow slowly walked over to me. “Hi,” he said, sounding unsure. “I guess I’m your new partner.”   
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We’re caught up with FF version now. Chapter 4 is about half-written. I’ll try to get it done faster, but I haven’t really been in the writing mood recently so we’ll see.

**Author's Note:**

> You folks are getting this chapter in a slightly more polished form than the people on FF, since I gave this another pass of editing before putting it up. I’m a slow writer, so once we’re all caught up here, it’ll probably be very slow to update, but I’ll try my best.
> 
> Comments and criticisms are welcome and appreciated, and if you spot any typos or other grammar errors please tell me.


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